I have so many big feelings about this book.

For one, 3 cheers for safe sane and consensual bdsm practices!!!! I love a book with Dom Sub elements that isn't... god awful and toxic.

Unfortunately, I can't say there wasn't a very late third act breakup, but honestly I understand why it was orchestrated, although I do think a bit more understanding should've occured, but we can't have everything we want, can we?

Overall, the book was phenomenal. I cried, I laughed, I finished it in less than a day. I legit got it this morning. I was so stoked, too, and I was so happy it turned out to be a good book. Amazing, really. Stellar. I hate when I'm hyped up about a book and it turns out to suck, or I ended up dnfing, etc. Not this book.

I loved Ellis. I loved Rosemary. I loved Immy and Dina, and Lyn and Jenna and Lance. I loved the diverse cast and the TWO (not one, but TWO) bisexual leads. My heart hurt so much for Ellis and I just wanted him to have his quiet life with his garden!! Spoiler but obvs not, he gets his garden, thank god. He also gets his girlfriend and their pets, and his closure with Hank. Iykyk. Sobbing. I cried so hard at that scene.

This seriously is one of my favorite books so far this year. I haven't read the authors first book, but I need to know more about Dina and Scott, so safe to say I'll be going back for it. I hope we get a book about Jenna and Lyn, or even one about Immy and Eric, and how they got together. I'd eat anything up by this author if I'm honest. They handled everything in the content warnings really well, and I just .. wow.

I'm gonna be thinking of Ellis and Rosemary often.

This was cute. But I expected nothing less from Nadia El-Fassi! This is a perfect rom com for those of use who like a little something…..extra! I will be adding this to my list of stocking stuffer books! Sure to be a crowd pleaser!

3.5 stars, rounding to 4.
This book gave me: paranormal romance, insta-lust, age gap, forced proximity, and dom/sub.
I was pleasantly surprised. Was this the best book I have ever read? No, but is it the worst? Also no. It was just okay. A nice filler and quick read to use for a palate cleanser.
I think this is a fun little Fall season read.
Rosemary is a novelist with anxiety. Her book is being made into a movie.
Ellis, our MMC, has the public image of a playboy and has a horrible manager who is blackmailing him.
Rosemary has preconceived notions about Ellis given his reputation, but as soon as the couple meet, BOOM. Instant attraction. Instant enemies, and then eventually, lovers.
The two MCs had great chemistry. They also both love the DOM/SUB dynamic in a relationship - that is all I will say about that, read it... lol.
Lots of side characters - ghosts, with subplots.
The plot was well structured, and the pace was good. Both of our MCs were well developed and felt easy to connect with for the most part.
Rosemary and the ghosts... a hot..
I laughed. I cried. This book did have me run the gamut of emotions.
The book was fun overall. I think it is a good book for everyone's Fall TBR. Again, nothing exceptional, just a good book to read during the leaves changing season!
Thank you so much to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
Happy Reading!

The summary caught my attention, but this story wasn't for me. I really enjoyed Nadia El-Fassi's previous book, Best Hex Ever, but this one was definitely different and just didn't feel like a good fit for me. I am sure when it reaches the right readers, it will be highly loved. 3 stars!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the E-ARC.

This was such an entertaining read! The ghosts, the pets, the growth from the characters in finding themselves and allowing each other to be who they wanted to be. This is my first book from Nadia. Rosemary was such a fun character and her relationship with Ellis was so well done. I really liked the diversity in the characters, it all just made the book pop. I may be reading this in May, but it's going to be such a good fall read when it is released!

I loved Best He x Ever so I was really excited to read this and while the spicy was great and there were cozy moments, I had some trouble connecting to the leads and I think if possible maybe another look at the second half of the book because it gets a little burnt out.

4.5 stars! I love reading Nadia's writing. Her talent for drawing readers in and making them feel at home and part of the story is impeccable. Rosemary and Ellis's story is sweet, cozy, and powerful. Sensitive topics and situations are always handled with care. I enjoyed Rosemary as a person; her character was beautifully written. The tropes and D/S dynamic were excellent. The representation of the LGBTQIA+ community was top tier. Pawsitively obsessed with all the cats 😻! Just like in Best Hex Ever, essential life lessons are taught. Nadia's books are an incredible way to remind oneself to love oneself, how to be our own best friend, and how to support those we love. I will devour everything Nadia creates and love it with every fiber of my being!

👻 Started with Ghosts, Ended with a Whimper

I loved the premise of this one. Paranormal, age-gap, enemies to lovers with a haunted English manor? Say no more—I was in. The opening had so much promise: a sharp, snarky author clashing with a miscast Hollywood heartthrob while navigating flirty ghosts and a spooky, glamorous film set? Yes please.

And for a while, it worked.

The setup was clever, the atmosphere was fun, and I liked the way the ghost storyline wove in with Rosemary’s writing life. It felt whimsical but grounded, and I was fully expecting a cozy, spooky romcom with heat and heart.

But then the shift happened.

About halfway through, the tone changed completely—and not in a way that felt earned. The rom-com energy disappeared, and suddenly I was reading a very serious, heavy-handed, spicy romance that felt like it belonged in a different book. The dom/sub dynamic came out of nowhere and was introduced so abruptly that it threw me right out of the story. It didn’t feel like organic character development—it felt like a hard left turn into a genre I wasn’t signed up for.

The romance also stopped being fun and became, well… kind of exhausting. The chemistry felt more physical than emotional, and the characters lost the spark they had early on. Ellis especially felt flat—like a placeholder love interest who existed to admire Rosemary without actually doing much to evolve or challenge her.

Also: this is not a romcom. It’s not light, it’s not particularly funny, and the serious tone around identity and trauma would’ve worked better if the book had been marketed that way. The cute cover and blurb are wildly misleading. I went in expecting ghostly hijinks and banter—not therapy sessions, emotional power play dynamics, and a plot that lowkey forgot the ghosts even existed after a while.

By the time the third-act conflict hit, I just didn’t care anymore. It felt forced, the resolution was too easy, and the magic that had me hooked in the first few chapters was long gone.

It’s a bummer, because the bones were so good. But for me, this was a classic case of “amazing premise, shaky follow-through.”

Come for the wholesome characters and cozy plot, stay for the sizzling spice——or vice versa! Fans of BEST HEX EVER will love this title too.

3⭐️
Love at First Fright came off at a lighthearted rom-com but it was actually more of a spicy LGBTQ+ confessing of one’s true self romance. Though the romance was believable and pretty enjoyable, I found the subplot of seeing ghosts much more fascinating and wish we had gotten more of that throughout the book.

I read a few of the other reviews and am shocked that no one else has mentioned the sheer number of typos and grammatical errors in this book. Sometimes words would be in the wrong tense or the author would switch subjects in the middle of a sentence. It seriously needed another round of edits.

Thanks NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an advanced copy of this book!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

I was over the moon excited when I received a copy of Nadia El-Fassi’s, Love at First Fright a Random House Publishing Group title from NetGalley! When I finished reading Best Hex Ever, I was wondering about Rosemary and was thrilled to learn that Love at First Fright would be about them. This story is real, raw and beautifully captures Rosemary’s feelings towards grief, loss and love. She is such a humble well-founded character; what she considers ‘flaws’ make her even more beautiful. I can’t wait to read a published copy! I love love loved it!

I thought the first half started great. The dynamic between the fmc and her friends was phenomenal and the story and plot was a great setup, but then it seemed to click too quickly and the language didn't feel like the characters. The sub/dom thing felt really weird on the intro and it threw the story off. Things started feeling forced and the pacing felt odd.

I hadn't looked at the reviews and details weren't mentioned in the netgalley blurb. Considering I thought it would be more romcom and enemy to lovers I wasn't expecting such a quick shift. More buildup would have made more sense. I loved the paranormal element. I thought the writing itself was great. I even really liked the fmc and the mmc.

This wasn't for me, but if you enjoy heavily spiced up books with dom/sub dynamics, it could be for you.

ove At First Fright follows Rosemary who is an horror author. She is not like most people she can see ghosts. One of her books is being turned into a movie. She wrote the script and is one of the executive producers. She doesn’t like the leading man in her movie Ellis. She makes that very clear. But while on set the two ended up spending a lot of time together. They might even end up together.

I really liked this book! I loved the whole paranormal / horror aspect of this book. I thought Rosemary and Ellis were super cute. I am shocked to say this but I found the spicy parts of this book a bit cringy. I don’t know if it was because this book was an age gap romance. Or because I felt like the spicy parts felt forced. But I really enjoyed this story over all. I am big into spooky things so love that this book focused on that. I would suggest this one.

Thank you, Nadia El-Fassi and Dell. This book comes out September 16.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. I really loved this story and hope to use it for book club once it is published, and hope to read more from El-Fassi.

Love at First Fright is a charming and spicy paranormal romance that blends cozy atmospheres with supernatural intrigue. The story follows Rosemary Shaw, a successful horror author with the ability to see ghosts, whose bestselling novel is being adapted into a film. The film is set in the eerie Hallowvale Manor, a location that proves to be as haunted as it is picturesque.

Enter Ellis Finch, a Hollywood heartthrob seeking to reinvent his image by starring in a historical horror movie. However, his casting is met with resistance from Rosemary, who believes he is totally wrong for the role. Despite their initial animosity, the chemistry between Rosemary and Ellis becomes undeniable as they navigate the challenges of filming in a haunted setting. Amidst the spectral occurrences and their growing attraction, both characters must confront their personal demons and the secrets they harbor.

El-Fassi's writing is engaging, with a perfect balance of romance, humor, and supernatural elements. The interactions between the characters are filled with tension and wit, making for an enjoyable read. The setting of Hallowvale Manor adds an atmospheric backdrop, enhancing the story's charm.

Fans of cozy paranormal romances and enemies-to-lovers story tropes will find Love at First Fright to be a delightful addition to the genre, offering a blend of romance, mystery, and a touch of the supernatural.

This was a fun and easy rom-com with elements of the paranormal that you'll love to read with your first pumpkin spice latte of the season! My only gripe was that the 3rd act issue felt forced instead of natural.

I really liked Ellis and RoseMary’s dynamic but I feel like there could have been more build up at the beginning. She ends up changing her mind about liking him very soon. There wasn’t any feuding.

This book was hot! I loved the rom-com setting with a touch of the paranormal—just the way I like it. It was a fun, easy read, and I especially appreciated the diverse communities represented throughout the story.

This is so delightful! Rosemary is an American thriller writer on the set of the movie adaptation of her book. Ellis is the star of the movie. Rosemary does not think Ellis is the right fit for the movie because, he's not scary enough to star in a scary movie.
He's also way too hot.
They have a few less then lovely interactions before coming to a truce of sorts. And then a bit more. Except they both have big secrets.
Ellis is in a fake relationship mandated by his sleazy agent and Rosemary sees ghosts. Like honest to God, they died and she can talk to them ghosts. And it doesn't help that they are staying in an ancient home in the British countryside.
The book is a delight and an amazing follow up to one of my favorite books of last year Best Hex Ever (Rosemary is the best friend of the FMC in Best Hex Ever).
There are ghosts doing ghostly things and accidentally(ish) terrorizing the cast and crew, so much dripping hot spice, and lots of outside drama.
If you want to rotate between laughing, blushing, and ordering a hex on evil doers ... this is the PERFECT book for you.

She is the author of the book being produced into movie and she can see ghosts. He is the main actor. He is tired of being type casted as the hunk. He does play James Bond. They had a not so meet cute in the rain. To be fair, he was kind of a jerk even though he thought she was just a fan. The premise is great, the banter is great. Not to mention, the spice is surprisingly hot.

This reminds me of the tv show, Ghosts.
Overall, it is a great romance book that centers not only them but other ghosts couple.

More in depth review to come

this was such a sweet book & i am so thankful we got to read it early!!! i cant wait to reread again for spooky season and do a review on our page!